Book Hotels in Kavala
Population: Unkown
Latitude: 24.409477
Longitude: 40.936499
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Description:
Kavala (Greek: Καβάλα), is the second largest city in northern Greece, the principal seaport of eastern Macedonia and the capital of Kavala regional unit. It is situated on the Bay of Kavala, across from the island of Thasos. Kavala is located on the Egnatia motorway and is a two-hour drive to Thessaloniki (160 km west) and forty minutes drive to Drama (37 km north) and Xanthi (56 km east).
The city was founded by settlers from Thassos about at the end of the 7th century BC, who called it Neapolis (Νεάπολις; "new city" in Greek). It was one of the colonies that the Thasians founded in the coastline, in order to take advantage of the rich gold and silver mines of the territory, especially the ones that were located to the nearby Pangaion mountain (which were eventually exploited by Phillip the Second of Macedonia).
The worship of "Parthenos", a female hellenised deity of the thracian goddess Vendis is archaeologically attested in the archaic period. At the end of the 6th century BC Neapolis claimed its independence from Thassos and cut its own silver coins with the head of Gorgo (γοργὀνειο) at the one side as a symbol. At the beginning of the 5th century BC a large ionic temple from thassian marble replaced the archaic one. Parts of it can now be seen in the archaeological museum of Kavala.
In 411 BC, during the Peloponnesian War, Neapolis was sieged by the allied armies of the Spartans and the Thassians, but remained faithful to Athens. Two athenian honorary decrees in 410 and 407 BC rewarded Neapolis for its loyalty.
Neapolis was a town of Macedonia, and the harbor of Philippi, from which it was distant 14 km. Neapolis was a member of the Athenian League, as a pillar found in Athens mentions a contribution of Neapolis to the alliance.
The military roman road "Via Egnatia" was passing through the city helping commerce to flourish. It became a Roman civitas in 168 BC, and was a base for Brutus and Cassius in 42 BC, before their defeat in the Battle of Philippi. (Appian, B.C. iv. 106; Dion Cass. xlvii. 35.). The Apostle Paul landed at Kavala on his first voyage to Europe (Acts, xvi. 11).
In the 6th century Byzantine emperor Justinian I fortified the city in an effort to protect it from barbaric raids.In Byzantine times the city was called Christoupolis (Χριστούπολις, "city of Christ") and belonged to thetheme of Macedonia. The first mention of the new name Christoupolis is recorded in a "Taktikon" at the beginning of the 9th century. The city is also mentioned in the "Life of St. Gregorious Dekapolitis". In the 8th and 9th century Bulgarian attacks forced the Byzantines to reorganize the defense of the area, giving great care to Christoupolis with fortification and a notable garrison. In 926 the byzantine General (stratigos) Vasilios Klaudon reconstructed the fallen walls of the city,("τα πριν φθαρέντα και πεπτωκότα τείχη") according to an inscription that is now in the archaeological museum of Kavala. Due to the location of Christoupolis, the city experienced an economic flourish, securing the contact between Konstantinoupolis and Thessaloniki. During the Norman raid in Macedonia (1185), the city was captured and was burned. In 1302 the Catalonians failed to capture the city. In order to prevent them from coming back, the byzantine emperor Andronikos B' Palaiologos built a new long defensive wall ("το παρά την Χριστούπολιν τείχισμα"). In 1357 is mentioned that the byzantine officers and brothers Alexios and Ioannis (John) controlled the city and it's territory. Recent excavations have revealed the ruins of an early byzantine basilica under an old ottoman mosque in the old part of the city (Panagia peninsula). This Christian temple was used till the late byzantine era, as the also recently revealed small cemetery around it shows. The Ottoman Turks first captured the city in 1387 and completely destroyed it in 1391, as a Mount Athos chronicle testifies.
Kavala was part of the Ottoman Empire from 1387 to 1912. In the middle of the 16th century, Ibrahim Pasha, Grand Vizier of Suleiman the Magnificent, contributed to the prosperity and growth of Kavala by the construction of an aqueduct. The Ottomans also extended the Byzantine fortress on the hill of Panagia. Both landmarks are among the most recognizable symbols of the city today.
Mehmet Ali, the founder of a dynasty that ruled Egypt, was born in Kavala in 1769. His house has been preserved as a museum.
Kavala was briefly occupied by the Bulgarians who defeated the Ottomans in 1912, but was finally annexed to Greece by the Greek Navy in 1913, during a successful landing operation commanded by the famous admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis. The city was captured again by the Bulgarian army during the First World War from 29.8.1916 till the September of 1918. During this period the local population faced the brutality of the occupation troops: the local harvest was almost completely expropriated, while a sizable portion of the population was kidnapped and send to Bulgaria. According to a report of the Inter Allied Commission in Macedonia, most of them never returned and as a result, the local population has been dramatically decreased from 69,600 to only 8,000. According to another source, Kavala had only about 23 thousand inhabitants before the war ans slightly less than that in 1920 After the Greco-Turkish War of 1919-1922, the city entered a new era of prosperity because of the labour offered by the thousands of refugees that moved to the area from Asia Minor. The development was both industrial and agricultural. Kavala became greatly involved in the processing and trading of tobacco. Many buildings related to the storage and processing of tobacco from that era are preserved in the city.
During World War II and after the fall of Athens, the Nazis awarded Kavala to their Bulgarian allies in 1941, but the city was liberated in 1944.
In the late 1950s Kavala expanded towards the sea by reclaiming land from the area west of the port.
In 1967, King Constantine II left Athens for Kavala in an unsuccessful attempt to launch a counter-coup against the military junta.
Kavala has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification "Cfa") that borders on an semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification "BSk" or "BSh" depending on the system used) with annual average precipitation of 460 mm. Snowfalls are sporadic, but happen more or less every year.
The absolute maximum temperature ever recorded was 38.0°C, while the absolute minimum ever recorded was −5.8°C.
Kavala hosts a wide array of cultural events, which mostly take place during the summer months. The top festival is the Festival of Philippi, which lasts from July to September and includes theatrical performances and music concerts. Since 1957, it has been the city's most important cultural event and one of the most important of Greece.
Cosmopolis is an International Festival held in the Old Town of Kavala that offers an acquaintance with cultures around the world through dancing and musical groups, traditional national cuisines, cinema, and exhibits at the kiosks of the participant countries.
Giannis Papaioannou’s Festival includes concerts and music seminars.
Ilios ke Petra (Sun and Stone)(July): a Festival held in “Akontisma” of Nea Karvali. The event is of folkloric character, with the participation of traditional dancing groups from all over the world.
Wood Water Wild Festival: Wood Water Wild is an outdoor activities festival, inspired by nature. It includes live bands & dj sets, body&mind activities, a book fair, outdoor theatre, ecology, camping, and debates.
Besides, various cultural events are held in all municipalities of Kavala during the summer months.
Fish and sea food, as well as the products of the local livestock breeding and agricultural sectors are the prevailing elements of Kavala courses. In Kavala, the traditional local recipes have been influenced by the cuisine of the refugees from Pontos, Asia Minor and Kappadokia. Fresh fish and sea food, salted food, mackerel "gouna" (sun dried mackerel on the grill), sardine pantremeni, mussels with rice, herring saganaki, anchovies wrapped in grape leaves, Stuffed eggplant: these are some very renowned recipes in Kavala and the coastal settlements of the region. The grapes, wine and tsipouro produced in the area, as well as the kourabiedes (sugar-coated almond biscuits) from Nea Karvali are particularly famous.
The municipality of Kavala was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 2 former municipalities, that became municipal units:
The population of the new municipality is 74.120 and the area is 350,61 km^2. The seat of the municipality is in Kavala. Some of the most important communities inside new municipality are:
Kavala is built amphitheatrically, with most residents enjoying superb views of the coast and sea. Some of the regions inside Kavala are:
European route E90 runs through the city and connects Kavala with the other cities. The Egnatia Motorway (A2) lies north of the city. One can enter the city from one of two Junctions; 'Kavala West' and 'Kavala East'.Kavala has regular connection with Interregional Bus Lines (KTEL) from and to Thessaloniki and Athens.
The Kavala International Airport "Alexander the Great" (27 km from Kavala) is connected with Athens by regularly scheduled flights and with many European cities by scheduled and charter flights.
Kavala is connected with all the islands of the Northern Aegean Sea with frequent itineraries of various ferry lines.
Kavala is twinned with:
Between 1893 and 1903, the French post office in the city issued its own postage stamps; at first stamps of France overprinted with "Cavalle" and a value in piasters, then in 1902 the French designs inscribed "CAVALLE".
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